DVD Media, Please give it to me striaght, no B.S.

[Krazykevin]

I've read many topics in this Media forum to get nowhere. I'm new to the DVD burning world and I would just ask you to answer these few questions:

I'm mainly burning home video, and occasionaly a dvd back up. I have a liteon 812s, now:

These bad disks, CMC or whatever, how bad are they. The only thing I'm scared of is burning 2hrs of home video, putting the disk in a safe deposit box and come back in 5yrs and the disk be bad and won't read. If I get a good burn today, will it be good 5 to 10yrs down the road? I've picked up Memorex DVD-R 4x and Fuji DVD+RW 4x and have not had one problem. I don't think I should be worried about a few errors, as long as the disk will read, right? Or am I wrong, and if a disk has errors now, it has more of a chance to go bad in years to come?

Thanks to anyone who replies

Kevin

[HyperYagami]

If I get a good burn today, will it be good 5 to 10yrs down the road?

who knows? we don't have time machines.

higher the price/quality higher the chance of it error-free years down the road. even that you can't be 100% sure.

Or am I wrong, and if a disk has errors now, it has more of a chance to go bad in years to come?

what "error" are you refering to?

[Krazykevin]

Capmaster said this:

Even the bad brands have good batches. What makes them "bad", like CMC, is more the inconsistency between lots than anything else. Some will be very good and some will be unusable.

I have actually gotten good Princo discs in the past (before I knew about them). Then all of a sudden they were unusable in any of our machines.

Count your blessings that you got one of the good batches, and just avoid them in the future
_________________
Capmaster

I don't exactly know about why they just stopped working? I didn't know if he meant stopped burning are reading!

Actually, CMC's latest offerings are really not that bad at all! I'm not a fan of CMC myself, preferring Taiyo Yuden and RITEK, however, I've been using some of CMC's 48x/52x CD-R media and 4x/8x DVD+/-R media lately and my tests show that error rates are more than acceptable. How well the discs burn will depend on your writer and the writer's firmware. LiteON DVD writers seem to work very well with CMC CD-R and DVD+R discs but don't work so well with CMC DVD-R. Pioneer and NEC DVD writers seem to write to CMC CD-Rs and all CMC DVD media very well, although you may need to slow CMC 8x DVD+/-R media down to 4x for excellent results.

YMMV.

Regards,
TerminalVeloCD

TerminalVeloCD stated that error rates were more than acceptable. What kind, I don't know. Its comments like these that make me wonder.

Also, if you don't know how long they will last, then please don't post a smartass answer. Someone who knows a little or a lot, about dvd media will have an idea. The box on the Fuji disk says they will last 100 years. This is the reason I'm asking this question. That seems like a long time to me, almost like a marketing phrase.

[Suntan]

Maybe you should stop complaining about smartass answers to your questions when your questions have been answered many times with conflicting results.

I've read many topics in this Media forum to get nowhere. I'm new to the DVD burning world and I would just ask you to answer these few questions:

What makes you think your so special? Do you think that everybody was purposely giving conflicting answers to all the posts you "read and got nowhere" but then when you ask this question everbody is going to settle down and give you the straight truth. Maybe the reason there are so many conflicting answers to this question is because nobody knows if CDs or DVDs burnt today are going to go tits up in the next 20 to 100 years.

If you want the data to be around in a hundred years carve it in stone.. ...then keep the stone out of the wind.

-Suntan

[indolikaa]

I've read many topics in this Media forum to get nowhere. I'm new to the DVD burning world and I would just ask you to answer these few questions:

So it was written, so it shall be flamed.

...if you don't know how long they will last, then please don't post a smartass answer.

When you've been here longer than a few days, it will become painfully obvious why many members here treat threads like this with sarcasm and disdain. Until then, you might want to lighten up a little. Dumbass questions tend to produce smartass answers around here.

Someone who knows a little or a lot, about dvd media will have an idea.

You could try nomorecoasters.com, aka LordSmurf. He's burned thousands of DVDs. You could ask me. I've burned over 3,000 Taiyo Yuden DVDs and have only produced 19 known coasters. BJ_M probably lost count of how many DVDs he's burned a long time ago. He could probably give you good advice as well. I could give you two dozen other references in the "Over 1000" club, if you'd like to broaden your opinion base on this matter.

The box on the Fuji disk says they will last 100 years. This is the reason I'm asking this question. That seems like a long time to me, almost like a marketing phrase.

It's based on theoretical testing that simulates what would happen to the dye (among other things) over a one-hundred year period. This assumes that the disc is burned and stored in the most perfect of conditions. Since no blank DVD has yet to exist for 100 years, it's a horseshit claim.

Which is superior, DVD-R or DVD+R?

We'll see...


Oh, and if you happen to disagree with this post, please don't bother PM'ing me to tell me what a supreme ******* I am. THAT subject has been well-documented in these forums; try a forum search instead.

[timmyp]

Maybe you can fiond some useful info here:

http://www.lairgauche.com/keep-store-clean-cd-dvd.html

or here:

http://club.cdfreaks.com/showthread.php?t=101945

or here:

http://www.computervideo.net/sep03-1.html

or here:

www.google.com

Good luck.

[HyperYagami]

Also, if you don't know how long they will last, then please don't post a smartass answer. Someone who knows a little or a lot, about dvd media will have an idea.

Yeah, good luck finding someone from the year 2104.

Also, if you don't like the answer, then please just shut up and stop complaining. Your question means absolutely no sense to start with. Someone who has a brain knows any lifespan claim is either via simulations or marketing BS.

[Capmaster]

[quote="krazykevin"]Capmaster said this:

Quote:
Even the bad brands have good batches. What makes them "bad", like CMC, is more the inconsistency between lots than anything else. Some will be very good and some will be unusable.

I have actually gotten good Princo discs in the past (before I knew about them). Then all of a sudden they were unusable in any of our machines.

Count your blessings that you got one of the good batches, and just avoid them in the future
_________________
Capmaster



I don't exactly know about why they just stopped working? I didn't know if he meant stopped burning are reading!

My fault there. I meant that all of a sudden my burning success rate dropped through the floor. What had been a 90+% rate dropped to about 25%. I was getting burning errors in Nero on three out of four of that last batch of Princo media. I should have worded my reply better.

Evidence suggests that if you get a good burn, it'll last. It's not likely to "go bad" with time and, in fact, DVD-R and DVD+R will probably last longer than commercial stamped DVDs with aluminum reflective layers. See the FAQ sticky in this forum for the link I put there that addresses this issue.

[Krazykevin]

I'll start this reply with "I'm sorry" to everyone, especially to Hyper. I can see where I came off pretty, uh, yeah, well, you know, I'm sorry again. I've did a few searches regarding the issues I first brought up. But it seems "I" can only find posts saying this brand is bad, don't get brand X with product ID XXXXXXX, but the same brand with product ID YYYYYYY is fine. To a newbie, as myself, its very overwhelming. I thought I could start a topic, without smart comments, which I started, and someone would reply with a simple answer I could use. Hyper, I know no one can predict the future, but I was thinking that someone maybe burned a disk 5yrs ago, one with errors and one with out and had some information that would help me. It seems like many of the posters/users of this forum have been at this for a while and only want the most supreme quality of media and DVD back ups, hence the reason for I prefer this media over that media or that media is horrible. But for the avg Joe Burner as I am, it got me worried. All I wanted to do is back up home movies to DVD. Then in years down the road, I could here my wife screaming at the top of her lungs at me when she put in the home movie dvd and it didn't play. I guess I don't fully understand why CMC is bad. I didn't know if the bad media just wouldn't burn, or, that it burned but it didn't read back worth a ****. I also didn't know how the media would act down the road. I'm sorry for the way I came off, and again I apologize. I will do some more searching.

Kevin

[HyperYagami]

...

That's ok. I'm sorry that my 2nd reply was a little harsh.

Like I said, if you have stuff like home movies (which can't be replaced/reshooted/etc.), use the best media possible (Maxell, TY, etc., check www.nomorecoasters.com for more) and don't care about the cost. That's your best chance of having long-lasting DVDs. You'll probably be using at least HD-DVD or things alike by the time they degrade (if they do).

[indolikaa]

I'll start this reply with "I'm sorry" to everyone, especially to Hyper. I can see where I came off pretty, uh, yeah, well, you know, I'm sorry again. I've did a few searches regarding the issues I first brought up. But it seems "I" can only find posts saying this brand is bad, don't get brand X with product ID XXXXXXX, but the same brand with product ID YYYYYYY is fine. To a newbie, as myself, its very overwhelming. I thought I could start a topic, without smart comments, which I started, and someone would reply with a simple answer I could use. Hyper, I know no one can predict the future, but I was thinking that someone maybe burned a disk 5yrs ago, one with errors and one with out and had some information that would help me. It seems like many of the posters/users of this forum have been at this for a while and only want the most supreme quality of media and DVD back ups, hence the reason for I prefer this media over that media or that media is horrible. But for the avg Joe Burner as I am, it got me worried. All I wanted to do is back up home movies to DVD. Then in years down the road, I could here my wife screaming at the top of her lungs at me when she put in the home movie dvd and it didn't play. I guess I don't fully understand why CMC is bad. I didn't know if the bad media just wouldn't burn, or, that it burned but it didn't read back worth a ****. I also didn't know how the media would act down the road. I'm sorry for the way I came off, and again I apologize. I will do some more searching.

Kevin

Nice. This is a pleasant change from the usual direction threads like this take.

1) You will probably find yourself 'upgrading' any DVDs you burn in the next few years to the next generation storage, so I think you should consider your window to be about 10-15 years. As an example, look at the people who are moving their VHS/Beta/8mm collections to DVD right now. They are in that general timeframe. Don't worry too much about lifetime storage.

2) You can operate on the principle that the very best media should give you the very best storage chances. There's no real evidence to argue for or against that position. Having said that, reputation is EVERYTHING in the blank media world. Taiyo Yuden invented it, and they are generally recognized as THE blank media R&D and production company. Maxell, when they make their own formula, appears to be every bit as good as Taiyo Yuden.

3) Backing up any personal data, home movies included, demands on the most secure method possible. And I don't just mean passwords and such, I mean putting the data on media that gives you the best possible chance of saving it long-term. And that means making more than one copy. I myself make three: one for general use, one to archive from, and one that is stored in a place where I still have a copy if the house burns down. Three copies may seem excessive, but the first time your main copy fails, you shit your pants until you realize you've got two others that might save your ass.


You will not find many people in this world who will argue squarely against Taiyo Yuden or Maxell. If the sourcing vendor is reliable, that's about the best media you can buy. I swear by Taiyo Yuden. When I coaster a disc, it is almost always my fault. This doesn't mean a bad batch won't appear from time to time, or a particular burner may not like 'em, but overall their reputation is rock solid.

The MADE IN JAPAN moniker that usually results in flame wars around here is a valid moniker. Japan's quality control practices are generally superior to the rest of Asia. That's not a slam on any of the other manufacturers more than it's a testament to Japanese culture. But the truth is, Japanese-made media has demonstrated a better reliability and better overall burn, in most cases.

Could you do fine with other brands? Sure. There are people that have had zero problems with CMC. But overall, if you surveyed 100 users, you will see less people complaining about Taiyo Yuden and Maxell than other brands out there.

Cheers.

[Krazykevin]

Thanks for the replies indolikaa and Hyper. Very much. I'm going to do a search right now, but I'll ask the question here because we are on the subject, Taiyo Yuden, who do they make disks for, or, are they their own brand I've never seen before? Thanks for all the quick replies. Hopefull in a few months or so, I'll be able to help some poor newb


Kevin

[fmctm1sw]

Thanks for the replies indolikaa and Hyper. Very much. I'm going to do a search right now, but I'll ask the question here because we are on the subject, Taiyo Yuden, who do they make disks for, or, are they their own brand I've never seen before? Thanks for all the quick replies. Hopefull in a few months or so, I'll be able to help some poor newb


Kevin

Look trough the media codes for "TY" or "Yuden". They are branded "That's" where I'm at. (Japan)...

[fmctm1sw]

Thanks for the replies indolikaa and Hyper. Very much. I'm going to do a search right now, but I'll ask the question here because we are on the subject, Taiyo Yuden, who do they make disks for, or, are they their own brand I've never seen before? Thanks for all the quick replies. Hopefull in a few months or so, I'll be able to help some poor newb


Kevin

Look trough the media codes for "TY" or "Yuden". They are branded "That's" where I'm at. (Japan)...

*edit* https://www.videohelp.com/dvdmedia.php?dvdmediasearch=&dvdmediadvdridsearch=yuden&type=...+or+List+Media

[scottsoso]

May be you should get ritek ridata media from cdrdvdrmedia.And you will know: HOW GOOD THEY ARE!

[chas0039]

Thanks for the replies indolikaa and Hyper. Very much. I'm going to do a search right now, but I'll ask the question here because we are on the subject, Taiyo Yuden, who do they make disks for, or, are they their own brand I've never seen before? Thanks for all the quick replies. Hopefull in a few months or so, I'll be able to help some poor newb


Kevin

You can get TY discs at Rima.com or at Supermediastore.com. Both have great reputations. Also there is a current test going on
https://www.videohelp.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=226738&highlight=
specifically to provide a quantitative answer to your question, only it will take a few years.

[Shocker Milwaukee]

I've found RICOHJPNR01 (+R media) to be extremely reliable. I've encountered exactly one disc in ~1000 that had a flaw in the dye (small spot).

[QuaiBoy]

If I was creating home movie discs and didn't have a DV backup (which I do have), I'd make three copies. One on a Ritek G04, one on a TYG01, and one on a Verbatim (MCC). All DVD-R. If you are keeping the home movies on another medium, such as DV, VHS, or similar, then a single DVD backup would be sufficient IME.
DVD recording is just too new to know what's going to last. No one knows the answer. I have to think that by placing a copy on three discs of different materials and manufacture that the chances are good it will still work ten years down the road. Then you can dump each 8 DVDs on a single BluRay disc (or whatever's out).
www.rima.com is a great place to find these discs and/or order them from. Gotten about 1200 Ritek G04s from them, and placing another order in a few minutes. Very nice people. They will send you free samples of certain media if you contact them (nicely).

Best of Luck,
-Evan-

[indolikaa]

Three copies is a good rule of thumb; I've been doing that since I started burning optical discs years ago. There's nothing worse than going 'Oh shit!' when your working copy fails and then realizing, "Hey, I still have two other copies to bail my ass out..."

My backups are Taiyo Yuden. I figure if they both fail, it was meant to be, and I'll find out later in life why. After all, you can only be so careful before it becomes obsessive/compulsive.

[chas0039]

It strikes me as quite ironic that an "obsolete" (VHS) technology is a more reliable backup that a DVD-R. A great argument as to why books will survive.

[Scottie]

I have tried aboout 10 differnt brands of DVD media and I only use Memorex and Maxells, I whould use Maxell before I use Memorex but they both seem to work great for me.

[DVD_Ripper]

As far as mfg's go (when you want to walk into Best Buy or OfficeMax and buy something) you can't go wrong with Maxell, Fuji, Sony and Apple. At least today all the OEM Mfg's they have used produces decent discs

[Cyrax9]

I'm saving a true "Review" for when I burn 50 of the following Disc's but just so you know...

Memorex: Rating = F. Why? Let me put it this way, I ALMOST cut them form my review because I was burning coasters left and right at one point I burned EIGHT of them, they ALL WORKED! I took them to a friends house stuck them in his Apex Unit and they ALL FAILED TO READ! I subsequently took them home thinkng it was his unit, stuck them in my Toshiba SD-M1712 DVD-ROM and Panny DMR-HS2 and they gave me a U11 (Bad Disc) iun the Panny and WIndows gave it's usual BS Error MEssage s(The DIsc is not readable) so that's pretty bad. After a few more coasters I stopped buying them. Then a friend told me to try the 4X DVD's -- so I did, what happened? Well out of 10 Disc's I've attempted to burn 6 and two went coaster on me so I've used 8 not by choice, but becuase two were defective. Now when Memorex works, they work well but they have DVD-R's made by CMC ans as previously stated the problem isn't even reliability (Sans those 8 DVD's) in the "will it last" aspect, its more along the lines of will it BURN!? The answer for me, is YES AND NO, same for most people Ihear and usually NO!

Maxell: Rating = A. Why? I've burned 23 of these suckers to date, of those 23, only ONE went coaster on me and it was PROBABLY my fault since I dropped it on the rug! If Ihad to guess I got dust pon it and it croaked and that was that. However I have yet to have another problem with Maxell and they're quite reliable, in the NON-PRintable variety of Disc's. That brings me to the other two brands...

OptoDisc: Rating = B- Why? I was copying some VHS Tapes (Or rather letting a buddy use said tapes to copy them on his Shiny DMR-E55 for me to avoid the BLack Level bug my DMR-HS2 puts out) and I had 10 Disc's to use for an 8 DVD Project. I'm glad I had 10 because TWO went coaster on me! Now you would think that would be enough right? Ha! The fional DVD's came out with some Minor problems (Pixelation) that's VERY VISIBLE on an HDTV or an LCD Monitor, it's not too bad ona CRT butit shows Princo quality which, like CMC is VERY Touch and go, I haven't had any other problems with them but I'd be very aggravated if I did. These were Inkjet Printable BTW.

BeAll: Rating A+ Why? Also Inkjet Printable I have yet to burn a BeALL coaster! IN addition Iv'e notice some iMRPOVEMENTS in Video quality when using a TBC and they'e actually BETTER than Maxell when you use a stubborn HDTV or an LCD Monitor to view them! I've heard mixed reviews on these on this forum, but everybody who I've reccomended them too who's been using Maxells has moved to BeAll instead or in addition because of the superior quality! Who makes these suckers anyway? Are they TY or another company? I've yet to have a problem and they seem to be of High Quality the empy 50-pack Spindle I have in front of me says they're made in Korea and tere's a sticker on the top of the box with the # "102-135-050" (No quotes) and the UPC is (8)0085 50050(2) the EAN is (8) 809059 775509 -- I have no clue if this can help ID the Mfr. or not, but I"d like to know.

Anyway my back-ups have always been either Duplicates or Triplicates (ESPECIALLY for Windows Recovery CD's) and the way I use DVD-R's now is:

1. BeAll 1X-4X (As often as posible, they're now beating Ritek in my book after the G04 inccident.)

2. Maxell 1X-4X (Can't print on them but they're good in a pinch, cheap at Wal*Mart too and if I can't wait for a new stack of BeAll's these are useful.)

3. OptoDisc 1X (I'm using these up ASAP, as good as they are they're Princo Mfred and we know how their qulaity goes, Just a nothc below Ritek after their G04 inccident.)

4. Memorex 1X-4X (I don't know what it is but after I nearly went to the BBB on them with DVD-RAM's that were having a 1/3rd coaster ratio, I started getting DVD-R's that are nearly as bad they've improved but they need a LOT of work.)

Hope this helps and when I do my meida chart I'll try and post it.

[crackur]

I'm saving a true "Review" for when I burn 50 of the following Disc's but just so you know...

Memorex: Rating = F. Why? Let me put it this way, I ALMOST cut them form my review because I was burning coasters left and right at one point I burned EIGHT of them, they ALL WORKED! I took them to a friends house stuck them in his Apex Unit and they ALL FAILED TO READ! I subsequently took them home thinkng it was his unit, stuck them in my Toshiba SD-M1712 DVD-ROM and Panny DMR-HS2 and they gave me a U11 (Bad Disc) iun the Panny and WIndows gave it's usual BS Error MEssage s(The DIsc is not readable) so that's pretty bad. After a few more coasters I stopped buying them. Then a friend told me to try the 4X DVD's -- so I did, what happened? Well out of 10 Disc's I've attempted to burn 6 and two went coaster on me so I've used 8 not by choice, but becuase two were defective. Now when Memorex works, they work well but they have DVD-R's made by CMC ans as previously stated the problem isn't even reliability (Sans those 8 DVD's) in the "will it last" aspect, its more along the lines of will it BURN!? The answer for me, is YES AND NO, same for most people Ihear and usually NO!

Maxell: Rating = A. Why? I've burned 23 of these suckers to date, of those 23, only ONE went coaster on me and it was PROBABLY my fault since I dropped it on the rug! If Ihad to guess I got dust pon it and it croaked and that was that. However I have yet to have another problem with Maxell and they're quite reliable, in the NON-PRintable variety of Disc's. That brings me to the other two brands...

OptoDisc: Rating = B- Why? I was copying some VHS Tapes (Or rather letting a buddy use said tapes to copy them on his Shiny DMR-E55 for me to avoid the BLack Level bug my DMR-HS2 puts out) and I had 10 Disc's to use for an 8 DVD Project. I'm glad I had 10 because TWO went coaster on me! Now you would think that would be enough right? Ha! The fional DVD's came out with some Minor problems (Pixelation) that's VERY VISIBLE on an HDTV or an LCD Monitor, it's not too bad ona CRT butit shows Princo quality which, like CMC is VERY Touch and go, I haven't had any other problems with them but I'd be very aggravated if I did. These were Inkjet Printable BTW.

BeAll: Rating A+ Why? Also Inkjet Printable I have yet to burn a BeALL coaster! IN addition Iv'e notice some iMRPOVEMENTS in Video quality when using a TBC and they'e actually BETTER than Maxell when you use a stubborn HDTV or an LCD Monitor to view them! I've heard mixed reviews on these on this forum, but everybody who I've reccomended them too who's been using Maxells has moved to BeAll instead or in addition because of the superior quality! Who makes these suckers anyway? Are they TY or another company? I've yet to have a problem and they seem to be of High Quality the empy 50-pack Spindle I have in front of me says they're made in Korea and tere's a sticker on the top of the box with the # "102-135-050" (No quotes) and the UPC is (8)0085 50050(2) the EAN is (8) 809059 775509 -- I have no clue if this can help ID the Mfr. or not, but I"d like to know.

Anyway my back-ups have always been either Duplicates or Triplicates (ESPECIALLY for Windows Recovery CD's) and the way I use DVD-R's now is:

1. BeAll 1X-4X (As often as posible, they're now beating Ritek in my book after the G04 inccident.)

2. Maxell 1X-4X (Can't print on them but they're good in a pinch, cheap at Wal*Mart too and if I can't wait for a new stack of BeAll's these are useful.)

3. OptoDisc 1X (I'm using these up ASAP, as good as they are they're Princo Mfred and we know how their qulaity goes, Just a nothc below Ritek after their G04 inccident.)

4. Memorex 1X-4X (I don't know what it is but after I nearly went to the BBB on them with DVD-RAM's that were having a 1/3rd coaster ratio, I started getting DVD-R's that are nearly as bad they've improved but they need a LOT of work.)

Hope this helps and when I do my meida chart I'll try and post it.

you are ignorant..........you probably bought the wrong spool...........did you get the black bottom one?

your burner probably sucks as well I got a plextor and mines burns are fine

I hate people who cry and complain but dont know what their talking about

[crackur]

oh yeah dvd-r ..........suck anyway .......with any brand

[HyperYagami]

you are ignorant

your burner probably sucks as well I got a plextor and mines burns are fine.

I hate people who cry and complain but dont know what their talking about

oh yeah dvd-r ..........suck anyway .......with any brand

Insightful comments! I'm sure everyone is taking you seriously.

[indolikaa]

you are ignorant

your burner probably sucks as well I got a plextor and mines burns are fine.

I hate people who cry and complain but dont know what their talking about

oh yeah dvd-r ..........suck anyway .......with any brand

Did you get mommy's permission to register on this website?

You do have to be 13 years old to take part in this forum, you understand. And we do prefer that our resident American citizens try and make an honest effort to SPELL and PUNCTUATE correctly. I mean, an occasional error is fine, but when you've obviously been typing forum posts while jerking off with Boy Butter, they don't tend to make much sense.

DVD-R sucks. Fascinating. I'm glad we have PhD's like you around to edukate us.

Dumbass.

[HyperYagami]

https://www.videohelp.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=231164&highlight=

ight, I'm trying to convert shows, cartoons and movies I have on my harddrive to mpeg2 for dvds.

What is the correct settings in Tmpgenc that will be able to pay on any tv screen

also.......I heard that you should do audio and video seperate.......How do you do this? and how do you get it together again

drop some hints and tips if you can and it will be greatly appreciated

need I say more...

[Cyrax9]

Woah! Easy there! We don't need to set back civilized conversation 100 years guys! As for "crackur's" comments...

I'll start off with
1. Slamming DVD-R's--

DVD-R sucks. Fascinating. I'm glad we have PhD's like you around to edukate us.

I'm glad SOMEONE isn't a +R Fanboy or a -R Fanboy! I have multiple burners, I use DVD-RAM, DVD-R/RW AND I have a Sony DRU-510A and an Optowrite (can't remeber the # off the top of my head) DUAL +/-R burner! I am NOT a -R Bias, I DO have +R Disc's, I haven't had a chance to finish the PC with the DRU-510A Drive (Care to provie the required Linux driver crackur?) and my other PC needs a larger hard drive so I'm waiting to upgrade! The ONLY Brand of +R I've really tried, and this was on a FRIENDS MACHINE was Sony and as I've had a good experiance with their +R DVD's I haven't tried any others yet, if it ain't broke... (Note that DVD-R was out before DVD+R and that most burners that are worth their money now burn both formats, just for those who would beg to differ, set-tops nonwithstanding.)

2. I DON'T know what I'm talking about[b]?[/]! Actually... I DO! I've been using DVD-R's since I bought a Panny DMR-HS2 Set-Top, my Mac takes -R, My PC Burners are +/-R/W and my Set-Top is -R/RAM! I tried multiple brands of DVD-R I picked four that I had a good success ratio with in a small group and was putting together a chart of them! When I decide to go crazy and buy 200 DVD+R's to get a four brand chart, I'll then have a +R chart as well.. just in time to redo the -R chart! (Don't forget Dual-Layer and whatever HD Formats wind up becoming the De facto Standard!)

3. My "complaint" with Memorex was that I had a 1/3rd coaster ratio, I spent $8 PER DISC and these things are supposed to let me get 1 Million Burns (Lab Situation) so I should at least get oh... ONE! The -R Complaint was also justifed, when 2 DVD's in a 10 pack go coaster on you, and it doesn't happen with other brands, that leaves a bad mark on the brand that went coaster! Likewise, BeAll has prooven better than Ritek POST-G04 inccident, I just don't know WHO makes them! I AM trying to figure it out! I KNOW my Maxell's are made BY Maxell, my OptoDisc's are Princo's and my Memorex DVD's are the dreaded CMC's, and I have had GOOD CMC's in the past for CD-R, read the FAQ on "Best" media and how hard it is to find the "best" blank media! I'd say you're the one who doesn't know what you're talking about.

4. Don't spam, I see it enough when I look in my inbox on broadband, at least it's gone from AOL. I didn't attack you, all I did was post what brands were working best for me and I burn DVD's daily.

5. indolikaa-- Are you sure this guy clicked the right button that says "I am over 13 years of age," or maybe he just lied... either way, this has to be an attempt at starting a flame war if I've ever seen one, don't you think?

6. All I asked was who makes BeAll's DVD-R's, I don't claim to know everything, I do however defend what I know. I know DVD-R is my preferred format, DVD+R in DVD-ROM MODE (So I can play it in my panny units) is also a useful format, I just know more people who can play and/or record DVD-R and who can reccomend DVD-R's to me. I knwo ONE PERSON who can record DVD+R's and play DVD+/-R's both. He REGRETS getting a +R Burner! Says it's incompatible with most DVD Players and has trouble taking his disc's to friends houses because of this. Are you sure you didn't mean to knock DVD+R? Oh and yes, he burns in DVD-ROM Mode so my Panny can play the DVD's (and other -R Players will as well) but some just don't read them. Some don't read DVD-R, if I had a crystal ball I'd say one day all players will play all formats since these lasers are highly versitile and in theory, if one had enough money, they could create a player that burns all Single Layer formats and eventually both Dual-Layer formats as well as CD's, personbally, I'd like that ina Set-Top. Of course, idiot-proof something, and you get an upgraded idiot to go with the idiot-proof device. (Doesn't matter if it's a PC or a Dishwasher, I've seen it all. Some people don't know how to quit MS Word apparently.)

Finally back on topic of which brand is "best" -- I've had no problems with BeAll and the Maxell thing was my fault, build me a time machine and I'll tell you which one survives WW3! I swear, I'm glad Memorex removed the 100 Year "Gaurantee" from their box, apparently they think we all have vaults like the one Disney advertises all the time, complete with controled temperature settings, white coats and a Frankenstien Lab! If so, then yes my Disc's WOULD live 100 Years.

Also, it's been my general knowledge that a VHS Tape recorded between 1982 and 1999 seems to hold up rather well. As soon as 2000 hit I began having problems with VHS, such as picture degradation in the space of 3 years (Sony), totally disasterous "Noise" across the screen in the space of two years (Memorex) and a nearly unplayable tape in less than a year. (Maxell) -- my point?

DVD's are at the BEGINNING of thier lfie, they're being built to LAST! CD-R's are lasting me just fine as well, when they announce a new Audio format CD-R's will probably get SHoddy the way VHS did, likewise if HD DVD's catch on, or Dual-Layer becomes the de facto standard (Bets are still out) for home users, Single Layer DVD's will probably DROP in quality to "force" you up to the new standard. I had no problems with VHS until DVD started to take over. Translation: Push what's new, kill what you don't want to use any longer. When DVD is nearly dead, then you can worry about Shoddy Disc's. The tape my parents recorded "ST II: TWoK" off of HBO onto STILL Plays pretty well in a couple of my VCR's, that was a 1982 FUJI! I've since purchased "ST II: TWoK TDE" on DVD, is it better? Yes! Is this expected? Yes! Its' newer and a pro-copy! I watched that tape to death, I'm GLAD I bought the DVD, and had I not bought it, my tape would still last. Had I recorded it off of UPN on the same VHS Tape from a 2004 batch, in a year or so it'd be unviewable. I don't tink we need to worry abut dead DVD's... yet anyway. (If my Disc's outlvie me, good! I want future generations to see what we all watched and either save it or deem us all insane, either way it's an interesting concept.)

[indolikaa]

I have, in my modest collection of digital authoring tools...

3 Optorite DD-0203 DVD±R/W burners,
2 LG GSA-4082B DVD±R/W/RAM burners,
1 Panasonic DMR-E55K DVD-R/RAM Recorder,
3 Optorite CW-5201 CD-R/W burners,
1 Teac CD-W54E CD-R/W burner,

About 250 Taiyo Yuden 4X DVD-R White-Tops in-stock,
About 100 Memorex 24X CD-RWs in-stock,
About 500 Taiyo Yuden 52X CD-R White-Tops in-stock,
About 100 Memorex 2X DVD-RWs in-stock,
About 30 Panasonic 3X DVD-RAMs in-stock...

But I don't know shit about this hobby. Or DVD-R, for that matter.

Fabulous.